Darkness of Winter
by Aika Hanyou
Summary: On the day before a ski trip, Bakura gets sick! Who better to stay behind and take care of him than someone who doesn't like skiing in the first place? YYxYB Darkshipping
1. Prologue

Darkness of Winter

"Come on, Yami, if you don't hurry up we'll be late!"

"And that would be bad because...?"

"Oh, just hurry up!" cried Yuugi. "We have to meet the others in fifteen minutes and you're not even finished packing!"

"I hate winter, Yuugi," I said wearily, "It's too cold. Why can't I stay here while you guys go up to that ski lodge? The solitude will be good for me, and besides, you don't want me to 'accidentally' cast Shadow Magic on the skiers who rush past me, do you?"

"Yami, we've been planning this trip for a long time," Yuugi sighed, "It just wouldn't feel right if you didn't come along! Even Kaiba's coming along!"

"Good for him," I said sarcastically.

"Yami, please! If you come, I'll..." Yuugi hesitated for a moment, then brightened up. "I'll talk Grandpa into giving you a free card of your choice!"

"Really?" My ears perked up. Yuugi's Grandpa had long-since decided that Yuugi and I would have to work for our cards or pay for them, since it really wasn't fair that they would get first pick.

"Yup! But only if you come along!" Yuugi grinned.

"Fine." I gave up and raised my hands in surrender. Yuugi smiles at me and starts helping me pack the rest of my bag. By the time we finished, we were running a little late to meet Ryou and the others.

Ryou's uncle runs a ski resort in the mountains, and he had invited everyone (that's everyone, including the Kaibas, Otogi, Mai, Malik, Isis... basically all our friends) up for Christmas. I'm all for this Christmas idea, but the snow down here is bad enough, and I don't even want to imagine what it would be like up there. I'm used to Egypt, where it's hot and humid, not cold and icy Japanese winters!

Yuugi and I drove up to Ryou's apartment building to find the gang standing by the street out front in their winter coats. Several cars were parked along the sidewalk.

"Hey guys!" waved Anzu, "We're just waiting for Ryou—he went back in to get Bakura, and he'll be back in a few minutes."

"All right, just a second," I nodded, driving down the street to park. The moment I stop the car, Yuugi leaps out and dashes over the gang.

"This is gonna be so cool!" he said enthusiastically.

"I can't wait!" grinned Jou, slapping him a high five.

I looked to Malik and Isis. They were dressed more heavily than the others, and they didn't seem to like the cold, but they weren't as uncomfortable with the cold as I was. It was probably because they had lived in Egypt for their lives only, while I had lived there for over 3000 years.

"Perfect day for a ski trip, huh?" Jou called over to me.

"Yeah, a perfect day," I said, watching the dreaded snow fall all around me. It makes me wish that I had brought a thicker jacket.

Ryou came walking out of the apartment entrance, looking very downcast. Immediately the gang quieted down and waited for him to tell whatever bad news he had.

"Bakura's sick," he told them sadly, "I'll have to stay and take care of him. I'll draw you guys a map so you can get to the lodge."

"No way!" cried Yuugi. The others all agreed and protested against Ryou.

"One of us will stay behind and take care of Bakura," said Anzu firmly. "You can't miss your own ski trip!"

Ryou shook his head. "I can't ask any of you to—"

"I'll do it," I interrupted.

The gang all immediately stopped protesting to stare at me. I don't blame them; _I _would stare at me. I'm as surprised as they are. But after Anzu said the words 'stay behind', it all became 'blah'.

"_You _will stay here, with _Bakura_?" Ryou stared at me like I was crazy. "Are you running a fever, too?"

"I'm not," I said impatiently. "I'll stay here with Bakura, and that way none of you will miss the trip. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Yami," pleaded Yuugi, "Please—"

I shook my head. "I'll stay here with Bakura. I don't want any of you, especially Ryou, to miss this trip. It's okay, really. Besides, I'm not really a mountain or a winter person, and I doubt that anyone else wants to miss this trip?"

Even Isis and Malik shook their heads. It was unanimous.

"You guys go on your trip. I'll take Bakura back to the game shop. Can I have your keycard, Ryou?"

Ryou handed me the card he used to get into his apartment. "Bakura shouldn't be any trouble, since he's pretty feverish. But we'll be gone two weeks. Do you think you two can last that long without killing each other?"

"We'll manage," I sighed. Truthfully, I didn't have any idea on how we would survive two whole weeks together, but how could I pass up a guilt-free opportunity to stay here?

"All right, if you're sure," he said hesitantly. I nodded and walked to the lobby doors. I could see Ryou organizing everybody and their bags into cars in the reflection in the glass doors. I reassured myself that this was for the best, and opened the doors.

Without looking back to see what the rest of the gang was up to, I walked across the lobby and into the elevator, pressing the button for Ryou's floor. I've only been in his apartment once before, and that was when we all played Monster World. The elevator stopped at his floor, and I walked down the hall to the room he shared with Bakura. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the next two weeks, and swiped the keycard through the lock.


	2. Fever

Darkness of Winter: Fever

I nervously opened the door and peaked inside. Of course, I quickly remembered that Bakura's apartment had a hallway that turned into the main room(1). I walked further into the apartment. I felt like I was entering—

"Into the belly of the beast—"

"—And out the demon's ass."

I blinked, then suddenly groaned. There was only one movie I knew that had that dialogue in it, and if Bakura was desperate enough to be watching that, he must be either delirious or really out of it. I was more hoping for the second. I rounded the corner, and my worst suspicions were confirmed.

Yes, he was watching... _The Mummy_! That awful, historically inaccurate piece of crap they call a movie, set in, supposedly, ancient Egypt. One look at Bakura, and I can see why he's watching this crap.

He looks bad. And that sentence just won the Understatement of the Year award. His face is all red, and his hair is sticking in sweaty clumps that are peaking our everywhere even worse than usual, and the hair that isn't sticking up is stuck to his skin with sweat. His hair looks like mine on a bad hair day, in the rain, with waaaaaay too much bleach. And he's curled in a midnight blue blanket, under which I'm guessing he's in his boxers. Or at least I hope so. His eyes are also feverish, and completely zoned out. His hands are hanging over the side of the couch like a dead man's. And his tongue is drooping out(2).

I don't know whether to feel sorry for him or throw him in the bathtub. I'll bet he smells from all that sweat.

"Tomb Robber."

His reaction time is so slow it's amusing. It's like watching one of those slow-motion car wrecks on TV. He slowly turns his head to face me, blinks for a very long time, and his face slooowly twists into a scowl. I would have laughed if he didn't look so bad. Finally, he speaks.

"Pharaoh. What the hell are you doing here?" His voice is raspy. I think he has a sore throat, too.

"I'm here to make sure you don't die while Ryou and the others are on their ski trip."

"Go away. I'll live."

"Not for long, in your current state."

"Go away. I don't need you to take care of me. I can take care of myself." He scowled very slowly.

"Like hell," I snorted. "You're coming back to the game shop with me."

"When _hell_ freezes over." He snarled.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not. I'm not going to leave you here to die, or your aibou will kill me."

"Why did you agree to take care of me, then?"

"Anything to avoid the snow and the cold." I sighed.

"Shut up. I'm boiling worse than the hottest day of summer in Egypt and you talk to me about how you hate being _cold_?!"

"You hate the cold, too, under normal circumstances. You're not exactly thinking in your right mind today."

"And what makes you say that?" he said, trying to growl but failing miserably.

"You haven't insulted me directly, and you're watching _The Mummy_."

"I'm watching WHAT?!" he yelped, sitting up. He regrets it, though and falls back down, groaning and clutching his throat. I was right, he does have a sore throat. He looked over at the TV, and immediately shut his eyes.

"It burns! It burns!" he cried. He sluggishly tried to reach over and change the channel on the TV, but he rolled over and slowly landed face first in a heap of blankets on the floor, with not even a cool 'thump' to go along with it. He didn't even curse.

That is just so pathetic that I'm starting to feel sorry for him.

"Go get some of your clothes, and I'll take you to the game shop," I sighed, turning off the TV. "It'll be easier to make sure I don't feed you the wrong medicine or step on a knife there."

"Whatever," he muttered, pushing himself up. He looks like a drowned albino rat, but even worse. I'm strongly fighting the urge to laugh.

He pulled the blankets around him in an almost childlike way, and I couldn't help but chuckle quietly. He was acting like a little kid now! If Bakura was going to be almost completely delirious and acting like a drunken kid, these next two weeks might actually be fun! Who knows what I could learn from the thief while he's semi-conscious!

He stumbles into his room, and comes back in a few minutes dragging a bag. He's also swapped his midnight blue blanket for a red one with gold lining, almost like the cloak he wore in Egypt. He starts walking straight towards me, and comes closer and closer until...

Wham.

He walks/slams into the wall next to me. What's worse is he backs up, moves a few inches to the left, and does it again. I sweatdropped, and grabbed his sweaty hand to guide him out into the hall of the apartment building. I made sure the door was locked, and proceeded to half drag a semi-conscious Bakura to my car, which is still parked out front.

I sat him down in the passenger seat, and we had a furious but slow fight over putting on the seatbelt, with me winning because if he yelled anymore he would have passed out. I sat in the driver's seat, convinced Bakura not to lean with his head against the dashboard, and started the car.

As we started driving, Bakura asked me a question. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I hate the winter and the snow, and I'll take any excuse at all to stay back home."

"Oh." He said. He sounded slightly disappointed. What, was he expecting some sort of pledge of undying love? Ack! That has just put some mental pictures in my head that I could do without. I would smack my head against the dashboard, but I'm driving and there's a policeman right behind me. I can see in my rearview mirror that he's already giving Bakura suspicious looks. If Bakura were conscious right now, he'd be giving him the finger.

We finally ditched the policeman (who I swear was paying more attention to us than the road), and pull around the back of the game shop to a hidden driveway. I stepped out, and opened the passenger door for Bakura, who fell out and landed in the snow. Judging from his sighs of pleasure, I doubt he minded the cold.

I pulled him out of the snow before he could finish his mouthful of the Ra-awful stuff and pull him to the front door. Surprisingly, it's locked. Did grandpa go somewhere? I wondered. Oh well, at least I had my key. I unlocked the door, and let us both into the eerily quiet house, despite Bakura's drowsy protests to stay out in the cold.

"You'll be sleeping on the couch, for several reasons: one, we don't have a guest room; two, I don't trust you in grandpa's room; and three, you sure as hell aren't sleeping in mine and Yugi's room."

"Whatever," he muttered. He walked into the living quarters of the house and collapsed on the sofa with an "oomph."

He really is pathetic like this.

"You can watch TV," I told him. "I don't think Ryou's given you medicine yet, so I'll give some to you in about an hour, and I'll also take your temperature."

I threw him the TV remote control, which hit him in the head and bounced to the floor. He really _was_ out of it. I sighed and picked it up and flipped through the channels, finally stopping on one that Bakura seemed to like. It was a fast-paced action movie with lots of explosions and crashes. Go figure.

I wandered into the kitchen, mentally rehearsing how I was going to explain this to Yugi's grandpa, when he got home from wherever he was. I reached for the handle to the refrigerator to get a glass of apple cider, when I noticed a note taped to the freezer and grabbed that instead.

_In case you boys return early, this is just a note to tell you not to worry if I'm not there. Since you are both leaving for the next two weeks, I've decided to spend Christmas and the next two weeks in Egypt with some old archeologist friends of mine. I should be back around the same time as you two, but just in case, I'm leaving this note. Ja!_

_--Grandpa_

I stared at the note, horrified. I was going to be absolutely alone in the house with Bakura for two whole weeks!

(1) Bakura's apartment in Shonen Jump Issue 19.

(2) Is anyone besides me half drooling, half 'aww'-ing, and half crying 'poor, poor Bakura' at this scene? O.O (how'd I get three halves? O.o)


	3. Force Feed

Darkness of Winter: Force Feed

It's quiet. Too quiet. I can't even hear the TV. That means that Bakura has turned it off to sleep, or he's planning something. Either way, I am still going to take his temperature.

I slowly peer through the doorway to the living room. The TV is off, but instead of sleeping he's just staring at the white wall behind the television set with glazed over eyes. I knew it. He's coming up with some insidious plot to kill me and steal my puzzle. He's not fooling me at all.

"Bakura, I need to take your temperature."

"Hell no," he muttered.

"I need to take your temperature to know how bad your condition is."

"Pharaoh, look at me. Is this bad enough for you?"

I took his instruction and looked him over. Ra, if he felt as bad as he looked, he would be a dead man.

"I still need to take your temperature," I sighed, walking up to the couch.

"Hell no," he cringed.

"Bakuraaa," I growled in warning, "Cooperate!" I put my hand that wasn't holding the thermometer on his chest and forced him down to the couch, trying to hold him there. Despite his sickness, he fought and struggled as hard as he could to get out. I tried to stuff the thermometer down his throat, hoping that choking him would make him shut up, but he kept on moving his head away. In my current position it was hard to make him lay still and get the thermometer in at the same time. This calls for plan B: threats.

"Bakura, if you don't let me put this in your mouth, I'll stuff it up your ass instead."

He just starts thrashing even more, growling obscenities at me. Okay, on to plan C: I physically subdue him into submission. I raise my knee and press it against his chest, forcing him down. He's still struggling, so I pull myself completely on top of him and attempt to hold him down as he squirms around underneath me. If anyone were to look in at this scene, it would look like we were… well, the last time I used that particular word, Yugi's grandpa grounded me to my room for the weekend.

Finally, all this physical exertion is getting to him, and he stops struggling and lays there panting like a dog. If anyone were to look in right now it would look like… I forced the thought out off my head and stuffed the thermometer down his throat.

I sat there straddling his waist until I heard the beeping sound that meant the electronic thermometer was done. Bakura glared at me as I pulled out the thermometer and checked the digital readout. My eyes widened at the readout.

"Bakura, your temperature is 104 Fahrenheit."

"Is that bad?" he panted.

"Very bad. That's a high fever." I said seriously.

"Well, damn." He glared at me as if it was my fault he was sick. "Can you get off of me now, Pharaoh?" I looked down and blushed as I realized that I was still straddling him.

"Er, of course," I said quickly, jumping off of him as if he had caught on fire (which, at his current temperature, may happen at any time).

"Good, now leave me alone," he growled. I shook my head.

"I need to give you some medicine before you catch on fire, Bakura. It's for your own good," I added, catching his glare, "Do you want me to get you anything else?"

"Water would be nice."

"Done." I walked out of the living room and into the bathroom. I dug through the medicine cabinet to find the fever medicine, and turned down the hall into the kitchen to get his water.

As I poured the water, I stared at the note that grandpa had left on the refrigerator. I was going to be left alone with Bakura for two whole weeks. Two whole weeks. And if he didn't get better within a week and a half, I would be spending Christmas with him too. What would Christmas with Bakura be like? Would he even want to celebrate Christmas? I suppose that Ryou would have forced him…

"Pharaoh, where's my water?" he croaked from the living room. Crap, the water! I forgot I was pouring it!

I cursed as I held up my wet sleeve. The counter was a puddle, and the floor was even worse. I cursed yet again as I dashed to the bathroom for a towel to dry it up. But before I started on the counter and the floor, I wiped off the bottom of the water glass and took it to Bakura. I must be going soft.

After I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, I grabbed the medicine (which had miraculously survived the flooding) and went back into the living room to find Bakura half asleep.

"Wake up, tomb robber! You need to take your medicine!" I cried.

"Go away," he muttered, turning over under his blanket.

"You need to take your medicine or your condition will only get worse."

"It couldn't get any worse than this," he growled softy.

"Take it," I insisted.

"Go away."

"Take it!"

"Go away!"

"Take it!"

"Dammit Pharaoh!"

"Take it!"

Five minutes later, we were in the same position that we were in when I was trying to give him the medicine. He was squirming under me, which was EXTREMELY disturbing, but at the same time kind of pleasant. I mentally slapped myself. Bad Yami! I told myself, bad Yami for thinking those kind thoughts! This is NOT pleasant, and you are NOT enjoying it, especially with Bakura there!

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and just wrenched his mouth open (he really needed a breath mint) and poured the medicine in. I leapt off of him, and as soon as he was done choking and gagging on the medicine, he gave me his infamous glare again.

This was going to be a very, VERY, long two weeks.

* * *

I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't very eventful, but I promise that the next one will be long, funny, and have a bit of fluff! 


	4. Preparation

Darkness of Winter: Preperation

Three days. I have been stuck in the house with Bakura for three. Bloody. Days. And I am going completely and utterly insane. That is to say, if I haven't already arrived. After all, our second day together (Damn, that sounds suggestive. Bad thoughts now, must stop.), I couldn't use the downstairs toilet at all, if you catch my drift.

The third day wasn't nearly as bad, and I believe that Bakura's getting better. With any luck, he'll be better by tonight, and I'll be able to send him home. He seems to be able enough to take care of himself, but he doesn't seem to think that himself. For some reason, he's completely changed his attitude and now claims that he's incredibly sick and needs constant attention. He must love seeing me so submissive (A/N: 0 Take that as you will), because I know for a fact that he's not as sick as he claims.

For example, yesterday I woke up early and caught him pacing the living room muttering to himself. He looked perfectly well to me. The moment he saw me watching, however, he flopped down on the couch and announced that he was starting to get delusional. Also, late last night, I saw him fixing himself a snack. He makes me pick up the TV remote for him across the room, for crying out loud!

I groaned to myself and opened my eyes, staring up at my bedroom ceiling. It was the morning on the fourth day, of course, and I was definitely not looking forward to another day of waiting on a pretending-to-be-sick Bakura. Maybe he didn't want to go on this trip either, and didn't expect that it would be me to take care of him…? Smart bastard. I wish that I had thought of faking sick.

"Oi! Pharaoh! Get your ass down here!" Bakura's voice shouted from downstairs. I twitched. Does that honestly sound like a desperately sick Bakura to you?!

I groaned and pulled myself out of bed, but instantly regretted it. It was so cold! I felt like diving back under my blankets. But, knowing that it would only make Bakura get angrier and murder me in my sleep, I opted for throwing on a red sweater and matching pants. I love my leather, but not in the winter. Sadly, I have fallen to the level of—don't laugh now—puffy snow pants. This winter attire makes me look like a pregnant hippopotamus. At least I can get it in colors I like.

"Pharaoh?! Where the hell are you?!" Bakura demanded.

"Shut up!" I snapped through the floor, "I'm coming!" I stormed downstairs to find Bakura standing in the dark (why hadn't he turned on the lights?) living room—looking perfectly healthy, may I add—with his hands on his hips.

"So you're better? Why are you sticking around here, then?" I glared.

Bakura jabbed his finger at the window. "That is why, Pharaoh."

I looked at the white window. "There's nothing there, only white."

"Look closer," he persisted. "Honestly Pharaoh, I thought you were smarter than that."

I huffed, seeing my breath in a cloud, but walked calmly to the window. I refuse to let him get the better of me. I gaze out the window, seeing nothing but white. I pressed my hands against the glass, but immediately pulled them away. The glass was so cold it stung ferociously. I frowned, and put it all together in my mind while warming my hand. The answer hit me like a load of snowballs.

"We're snowed in."

"Under seven feet of snow, Pharaoh. It was on the radio this morning. You really should get up earlier."

I groaned and put my head in my hands. Snowed in, and with Bakura no less! This just kept getting better and better. And it's so cold that my sarcasm is dripping into icicles.

"Did they say how long this was going to last?" I sighed desperately.

Bakura twitched.

"Bakura? How long is this going to last?"

Again, he twitched.

"Dammit tomb robber, answer me!"

"…Do you remember when Ryou and Yugi dragged us to that movie 'The Day After Tomorrow…?'"

I groaned. How could I not remember that movie? The whole world buried under ice and snow, barely any survivors, the whole western hemisphere wiped out… (A/N: For anyone who hasn't seen that movie, I really recommend it!) It's my winter-phobia times five hundred.

"It's going to be that bad?!"

"No, that's only a nice visual aid," he rolled his eyes, "It's supposed to be confined to this area, and it probably won't exceed twelve feet—"

"TWELVE FEET?!" I yelled, "THAT'S OVER TWICE MY HEIGHT!"

"Okay, first, if we're going to be trapped together for a while, you're going to learn to try something called silence. It's very nice really, when the air isn't full of your cocky voice (A/N: I hate Atem/Yami's dub voice… he sounds too full of it)."

"Don't try to order me around in my own house, Bakura," I warned, placing my hands on my hips to match his stance, "This is my house, and I am Pharaoh, after all—"

"Yes, and that's what it's all about, isn't it? It's all about you, almighty Pharaoh," he mocked.

"Bakuraaa," I growled.

"You're always on top, Pharaoh. Maybe you should try living life on the bottom for once! Besides, I doubt that the top floor of the shop will be of much help to you now," he smirked.

"What do you mean by that, Bakura?" I growled again. "And wait, aren't you supposed to be sick?!"

"Sick people get better. And as for your first question… why don't you go up and see for yourself?"

Glaring at him all the way, I climbed up the stairs. At the top floor, I started to realize what he meant. It was absolutely freezing. I don't mean ice cube down your shirt freezing, I mean freezing your blood in place freezing. I wouldn't be surprised if my heart froze solid right here and now.

Why hadn't I noticed the cold before? I remembered my warm comforter and fluffy mattress. I was too used to the confines of my own body heat, that was why. But now that the warmth of my bed had faded out, it was freezing up here.

I cursed and ran to the thermostat to turn up the heat. The knob all but froze my fingers, but I turned it as far as it could go. The house didn't feel any warmer, and I wasn't hearing the heater crank up loudly like it normally did.

"The heat's broken," Bakura called up, "I tried it this morning. The electricity's broken, too. The radio was battery operated, and the batteries ran out an hour ago."

I cursed once more and dashed into my own room. A wave of cold air hit me as I opened the door. The only thing that had kept my room warm was my own body heat insulated by the blankets. Now that I wasn't in the insulating covers, all heat had left the room. I wouldn't be surprised if it started to freeze over like the rooms in 'The Day After Tomorrow'—wait.

Oh. My. Ra. I am going to be stuck downstairs with Bakura.

Not able to stand the cold for a second longer, I turned around and dashed back downstairs, to the area where I was going to be spending the next few days—maybe even until Yugi and the others got home—with Bakura.

"We're going to freeze to death," muttered Bakura when I reached the lower level, "We've never seen snow before, much less survived a storm of it! And besides, we don't have any heat, and only one blanket…"

"Ah ha," I said triumphantly, "You're wrong, tomb robber, as always!"

Bakura narrowed his eyes, but his only reply was an inquiry: "How?"

"Yugi's grandpa, like us, hates the cold," I replied smugly, "He has a whole closet full of blankets, lighters, candles, matches, batteries, another radio, and even small amusement games for this kind of situation. He has piles of wood and newspaper in the cellar, too, because he didn't see the point in letting them get buried in snow outside in an emergency."

"The cellar will be colder than the upper level, Pharaoh."

"Crap… That's right…"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but cheer up, Pharaoh. I didn't say we couldn't get down there; I merely stated the fact that it would be very cold."

"What are you getting at?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"What part of tomb robber do you not get?" he rolled his eyes, "Watch." With that, he walked over to an arm chair in the corner and started ripping the coverlet into strips.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I cried, rushing over to him and the now mutilated coverlet.

"Relax, Pharaoh. Sacrifices must be made. Besides, it was a cheap fabric anyway," Bakura commented. He walked to the bookcase and took down a long, thin golden candlestick from the top shelf. He yanked out the candle and stuffed the insert slot with strips of fabric. He wrapped the strips that couldn't fit around the top and tied them together, until it looked like he was holding a screwed up microphone. It wasn't until he pulled a black lighter out of his pocket that I realized what he was doing.

"You can't possibly be making—" I gaped.

"No, I'm making lemon meringue pie," he rolled his eyes, and set fire to the ball of fabric. He smirked and held up his makeshift torch with pride. "I just won the Olympics. Fear me."

"Har har," I rolled my eyes, "Let's get this over with. Grab as much wood as you can carry, I'll take the newspaper, and we'll make three trips. That should cover it for today and maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"There you go, giving out orders again," Bakura snarled, "We are no longer in Egypt and you are no longer Pharaoh, Atem. I don't have to bow down to you anymore."

"Like you ever did," I muttered quietly.

He gave me a scathing glare, before walking off down the hall. He was out of sight for a few minutes before he came back and gave me another glare.

"What?"

"I have no idea where the cellar is in this Ra-forsaken shop."

"So, let me get this straight," I smirked, "You want me to… lead you?"

"Don't rub it in," Bakura growled. I just smirked and walked over to him, and passed him with an air of confidence that, I admit, was more than a bit smug and arrogant. But what do I care? He's only a tomb robber. I led him to the back room of the store, where the inventory was kept, and stopped at a small door in the ground.

"That it?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "But it's locked, and grandpa has the only—"

Bakura slammed his foot into the small doors, cracking them in half and revealing a short staircase to the cellar.

"You're paying for that," I frowned, starting down the stairs. He followed me and snorted.

"Like hell."

Upon reaching the basement, we were greeted with several piles of firewood and bundles of newspaper dating back to the 70's.

"The old geezer had issues."

"He did not. And he is not an old geezer."

Bakura just shrugged and started to gather up firewood. I was struggling to lift two bundles of newspaper, and watched in—I admit it—awe as Bakura piled on log after log until his head was completely hidden from my sight.

"How…?"

"You develop strength from working for a living, Pharaoh, unlike you pampered monarchs."

I glared, but didn't respond. I was holding the torch now, as Bakura's load was far too heavy and dangerous to carry the flame, but the cold must have still slowed my brain, as I couldn't think of a sarcastic retort.

We both climbed up the stairs and dropped our loads near the fireplace, and repeated the whole process two more times until we had enough fuel. I let Bakura set the logs and newspaper while I went off in search of grandpa's emergency supply closet.

I returned a few minutes later, my arms laden down with five thick blankets which I deposited on the couch. I went back and returned with a first aid kit, an emergency knife (Under threat of death, Bakura was not to touch it), a bag of lighters, several boxes of matches and candles, batteries and a new radio, and a deck of cards, a box of dice, Scrabble, five puzzles, and a bag of miniatures and a mini RPG field.

"Good Ra, what was this man expecting, the next Ice Age?" Bakura stared.

"Looks like it," I sighed. "Light the fire before I freeze my ass off."

"Your pampered royal ass can stand a few more minutes in the cold," he growled, but he lit the fire anyway. I shoved the pile of stuff from the closet off to the side and split the blankets between us, three to me and two to Bakura because he already had a blanket. He accepted his blankets graciously (surprisingly enough), and we both shivered and warmed our hands in front of the fire.

"Where'd the torch go?" I asked.

"I used it to light the fire and put it out with Shadow Magic."

"Everything is Shadow Magic with you," I accused.

"You're not so innocent yourself, Pharaoh, so don't be a hypocrite," he growled, still shivering furiously.

"You're shivering terribly. Are you all right?"

"…I'm fine," he murmured. I frowned. He certainly didn't sound like it. I studied him over. His hands were pale, as was all the skin I could see. It was a little creepy, I'll admit, seeing his tanned skin so pale. I touched his hand, but immediately drew back. Ra, he was like ice…

"You're freezing."

"So are you. Back off."

"No, I mean you're freezing more than you should be. You were just sick a few days ago, Bakura… The cold may have made it worse."

"I'm fine," he muttered, "Just tired…" he trailed off and lowered himself to the ground and curled up into the blankets, still shivering furiously.

I know that he's my enemy, but I can't help but feel a bit worried. I slipped out of the blankets and grabbed a small book from the first aid kit. I had a hunch about Bakura, but I needed to be sure. I flipped to the page I wanted, and, kneeling beside Bakura, compared his symptoms. When I had finished, my heart was as frozen as Bakura. All the symptoms were present. I checked further down the page, and the icy feeling intensified.

_Appropriate Treatment of Hypothermia:_

_It is important that the hypothermic person be warmed immediately. The best and most reliable way of doing this is by warming them with your own body heat. Do this by keeping close to them in a blanket or sleeping bag. Clothes will only keep in the cold, so they must be removed..._

* * *

Okay, I know I promised fluff and humor in this chapter, but I opted for a bit of seriousness and rivalry instead to better suit the story. Think of this as not a chapter, but a bridge to the REAL humorous fluff up next

And no, this is not going to become a lemon/lime, unless someone else writes it when the story is finished. The next update will come speedy and quick, I promise!


	5. Confession

Darkness of Winter: Confession

Well, the good news is that Bakura's body is now able to produce its own heat, and his temperature should return to normal now. The bad news is that if he wakes up anytime soon, Bakura will gut me and use my various organs and intestines to decorate his Christmas tree.

Yes, we were curled up in the blankets together. And yes, we were both naked.

I _swear _this was only for his own good! I am not enjoying this in any way, shape or form imaginable! Besides, he should be fine now, so I can just back away slowly and pick up my clothes; maybe not make this seem as bad as it looks now.

OH CRAP! He's waking up!

Bakura blinked a few times, clearing his eyes. While he was struck with his morning blindness, I scrambled furiously to get out of the tangle of blankets and maybe find something to where if I was lucky. Unfortunately, the blankets were too entwined and they tangled me into a… suggestive position… with Bakura. By now he was fully awake.

"WHAT THE BLOODY FREAKING _HELL_?!" he screamed, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over himself as best he could (Now why didn't I think of that?).

"It's not what it looks like—" I started.

"I FALL ASLEEP FOR A FEW BLOODY MINUTES—"

"Let me explain—"

"PHARAOH, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! ANSWER QUICKLY OR I'LL HAVE YOUR SKIN AS A RUG IN MY APARTMENT!"

"I did it to save your bloody LIFE!" I yelled angrily.

"AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU FIGURE THAT?!"

"YOU WERE HYPOTHERMIC! I had to get you to warm up somehow!"

"AND YOU CHOSE THIS WAY?!"

"I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE _THAT_!" I growled, "I mean with my body heat!"

"And so we had to both be NAKED?!" he screamed.

"YES, actually," I protested, "Your clothes would keep in the cold!"

"Like hell," he muttered, somewhat quieter than before, "Like hell would you ever _want _me to survive."

I was about to reply, but I shut my mouth almost the moment I opened it. For once, it seemed, he was right. He was my bitter enemy, so was I so scared and worried when he became hypothermic? And why was I so concerned that I would actually undress us both to save him?

Maybe it was the fact that I would miss competing with him. Yes, that's it, I would miss having someone to challenge. What about Seto Kaiba, though? I could always challenge him. I didn't need to always challenge Bakura. Ack, no, no, no, I can't be disproving my own theory! Loophole, loophole… ah! Yes! Seto never tries to steal my puzzle! A loophole, yes! I'd miss Bakura because he keeps me on my toes! Yes, that's it! I would miss Bakura as a rival, not because I _loved _him or anything…

…

…

BAD THOUGHTS! No! I don't love Bakura, I don't! He's my rival! We're so different! Sure, we have some things in common, but his intentions are evil, mine are good, right? Well, no, he was doing it because of his village, so his intentions weren't and aren't evil—no, I'm disproving myself again! But we don't belong together, we're too different, we're—

"Two sides of the same coin." Bakura finished.

Oh crap… those last thoughts were out loud… curse my external voice!

"Bakura, I, er," I stammered.

"Save it," he rolled his eyes, "If I wasn't thinking the same way, why would I have faked sick to come here?"

"FAKED sick?!"

"Duh. Ancient spirits can't get sick."

"How? Why?" My head was spinning. He faked sick… to stay with me? No, no, Ryou was supposed to take care of him, unless… unless I would agree to help my friend and stay behind, because it was obvious I'd do anything to stay….

"Exactly right, Pharaoh. You were always too helpful to your friends."

….

…curse you, external voice!

"But you were so sick before, and your temperature... what about that?"

"All faked," he smirked, "I used Shadow Magic to weaken myself so I'd stumble and all that other weakness crap. I used water to mat down my hair, took a few sleeping pills to appear sleepy, and then used Shadow Magic again to heat myself up for the temperature."

"But… on the third day here you were…"

"Pharaoh, everybody knows that you can make yourself throw up by putting your finger down your throat. Any high school student or person with a boring job could tell you that."

"And you did this all to stay here with… _me_?!"

"Exactly."

"This is crazy. Insanely crazy."

"You expected less from me?"

"…No, not really."

Bakura just smirked and leaned back against the couch. Damn, with the blanket half-covering him, he does look sexy…

"Okay, this is a bit strange, but I'll go along with it. I'll admit, it is kind of flattering that you'd go to these lengths to get alone with me, and again I'll admit, it is really appealing, but faking hypothermia to get us… like 'this'? There's more to a relationship than sex, Bakura."

"I didn't plan on the hypothermia," he twitched, "It was an interesting turn, though."

"So you really were hypothermic?! What happened to 'ancient spirits can't get sick'?"

"Hypothermia is a _condition_, not a sickness, Pharaoh."

"First things first, if we want this to work out, we'll both have to cut the caste crap."

"I thought you loved being Pharaoh?" Bakura smirked, "And I thought I was moving fast. Are you so quick to accept your greatest rival as your lover now?"

"Stranger things have happened… and it's been a long day," he sighed.

"And it hasn't occurred to you that this long day happened to be Christmas Eve?"

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.

"Tomorrow's Christmas. I don't know much about it, but the mortals here seem to hold it in high regards. There was something about gifts, and then some crap about friends and family."

There was a long silence in which we both just stared at each other. I wanted to say something—_anything_—to him, but the words didn't come. Finally, Bakura got tired of the long silence.

"To hell with it," he snapped. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a long, heated kiss that could have defrosted the whole upper floor.

Well I'll be damned, he tastes like strawberries.

Meanwhile, Up in the Mountains…

"I can't get through to them!" Yugi exclaimed, putting the phone back down.

"The power must be out," Ryou sighed, "Let me try my apartment."

Yugi nodded and handed the phone to Ryou. Ryou accepted it and dialed his apartment number. All he could hear was static, so he sighed and hung up. He thought for a moment and picked it up again, dialing a different number.

'Bakura's cell phone,' he mouthed silently to Yugi, noticing his look of confusion.

He waited for a few moments while it rang, before there was a click and Bakura's voicemail picked up.

"…bloody freaking machine, how does the damned thing work? Stupid thing, what does this button—" Ryou heard a beep and Bakura's voice stopped. He sighed and hung up without leaving a message (not that Bakura would know how to check it; why did he even have a cell phone in the first place?).

"Let me try Yami's cell phone," said Yugi, taking the phone.

"I thought his name was Atem…?"

"He said I could still call him Yami if I wanted. Besides, it sounds kind of cute," Yugi giggled. Ryou smiled. He sometimes called Bakura ''kura' when he wasn't around. Calling him 'kura to his face would result in a slow, painful death.

Yugi dialed the number and listened.

Meanwhile, at the Game Shop…

I groaned and lifted my head slightly at the sound of my "Desert Rose" ringtone (A/N: That's my ringtone ). Bakura was still asleep from our… _activities_… and I was still groggy, having just woken up. I slowly got up in search of my cell phone, which was lying amidst the pile of supplies from grandpa's closet.

I picked it up and answered hazily, "…Hello?"

"Yami!" A familiar voice squealed through the phone, "We were worried about you!"

"Yugi was worried about you, I thought you would already be dead with Bakura," Ryou's voice interrupted.

"Ryou!" Yugi squealed. I heard the sounds of a struggle, and was slightly annoyed by this. I hope they knew how many minutes they were costing me, and sheesh, the bill is long enough…

"Hey guys," I yawned, "Having fun?"

"There was a blizzard yesterday, so we were trapped inside, but they said we should be allowed out by tomorrow! Which is Christmas, did you know?"

"Yeah, I knew."

"I'll give you a call tomorrow to wish you a Merry Christmas then, and we'll bring you and Bakura some presents, okay?"

"Okay," I yawned, "That'd be great, aibou,"

"You sound tired, are you okay, Yami?"

"Fine, fine, just a bit drained."

"Bye! Hope you and Bakura don't kill each other! Have fun!"

"Same to you, aibou, have fun with Ryou," I smirked.

"YAMI!" he yelled. Heh, I could practically feel his blush from here. I heard him hang up, and at the same time I felt Bakura fidgeting beside me.

"Who?" he asked.

"Yugi and Ryou," I answered, tossing my cell phone back into the pile of stuff.

"You know Ryou likes Yugi," said Bakura, rubbing his eyes.

"That's what I meant by 'have fun'," I smirked.

"Ah," he grinned.

Up on the Mountain…

"What exactly did Atem mean by that?" Ryou grinned.

"Well, uh, that is to say, well," Yugi stammered, turning several interesting shades of red.

Ryou giggled. "It's okay, Yugi, I think I have a pretty good idea already." He gave Yugi a quick kiss on Yugi's flushed cheek.

Yugi just blushed and nodded.

At the Game Shop…

Bakura and I roared with laughter, rolling around on the couch.

"That'll be an interesting relationship," I laughed, "Two lights! Think they'll be too nervous to kiss?"

"I wonder who would be dominant," Bakura cackled.

"Ouch," I winced, "That just put some disturbing images in my head."

"Did they look like… this?" Bakura smirked, pulling me into another kiss.

"Not yet," I muttered, pulling the blankets over us, "But it will."

* * *

Yay! Some fluffiness and they are actually TOGETHER! Phew, I never thought I would get to this stage! Next chapter will be the Christmas chapter, so expect lots more fluff! 


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